Wreath Across America seeks to honor those in Young County

The opportunity to honor and say thank you to our nation’s veterans comes often, but one organization is trying to honor those that have died, either while serving the United States or after their service by placing a wreath on their grave.

Dana Ribble is from Graham and currently lives in Houston, but she is active in the Daughters of the American Revolution and Wreaths Across America. WAA is dedicated to placing wreaths on veterans graves on Dec. 19, 2020.

“It is an organization that provides and delivers the wreaths to the cemeteries,” Ribble wrote in an email. “Trucking companies volunteer to deliver the wreaths to certain places.”

According to the WAA website, the non-profit organization began when founder Merrill Worcester won a trip to Washington D.C. when he was 12-years-old. This trip impacted him in seeing the importance of honoring veterans.

Many years later Worcester, who owned Worcester Wreaths, found himself with an excess of wreaths at the end of the Holiday season. He began to think that a simple wreath with a red, hand-tied bow could be a great way to honor the veterans across the nation.

WAA recruits volunteers from around the country to place wreaths on the graves of veterans in every state.

Ribble is looking at cemeteries across Young County to see if Wreaths Across America could come in and place wreaths on veterans graves.

“Presently, I am working on what veterans are buried where in the county. I have a spreadsheet on each cemetery (in Young County),” Ribble wrote. “I think I have Gooseneck and Donnell completed. Together they have 80 veterans with wreaths totaling $1200.00.”

Ribble is looking to raise money for all the wreaths to go on veterans graves, along with people to volunteer to physically place the wreaths on the graves in December.

Ribble is working as hard as she can to make this a possibility for Young County, but said she needs the community to help her and WAA.

“As a community, a decision should be made on whether to do it, then to decide if only one cemetery is done in 2020 or if we could do all in the area,” Ribble wrote.

She wants to know if Olney and Newcastle would like to participate as well.

If you are interested in getting involved email Dana Ribble at dana.ribble@gmail.com or sign up on the WAA website: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Jan. 22 edition of The Graham Leader.